Dental breath-guard



(No Model.)

0. P. SOUTHWELL.

DENTAL BREATH GUARD. No. 344,688. Patented June 29, 1886.

NITED STATES Barnum rricn.

OAROLUS P. SOUTHWELL, OF MILWVAUKEE, VISCONSIN.

DENTAL BREATH-GUARD.

fiPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 344,688, dated June 29, 1886.

Application filed August 17, 1885. Serial No. 174,573. (No model.)

kee, and in the'State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental Breath-Guards; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to dental breath guards; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction, as will be fully set forth hereinafter. l v Y In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my device in use on a person in a dentists operating-chair, andFig. 2 is a perspective view of the device itself detached.

My improved device isintended for use particularly in connection with an ordinary rubber clam, though it may be used without, and also is designed to be worn, if desired, by the dentist when operating upon a person with offensive breath.

It consists of a single piece of metal or other suitable material bent or formed into the shape shown in the drawings. Thin sheet-brass is a good material to use, which can be nickelplated, and thus easily kept polished and clean.

The front of the plate A has preferably a double curvethat is, its outer edge has a central convex curve with a smaller concave curve at each side at a a, while the rear edge of said plate is bent up and preferably centrally split, as at b, forming two curved flanges, B B, whose general outlines follow the arrangement of concave and convex curves described above, but which more closely approximate the shape of the upper lip, against which and directly under the nostrils the said flanged edge B is placed.

The device maybe held in position by a variety of devices, the simplest being the elastic cord 0. (Shown in the drawings.) Holes ab are bored through the plate A and its flange B, and a rubber cord, 0, slipped therethrough and knotted on the under surface of the plate A. This cord is doubled and slipped through a sleeve, D, and to prevent the doubled end or loop from pulling through said sleeve a button, E, is secured in said loop, as shown, and the other end of the cord 0, after passing through the eye of this button and through said sleeve, is passed through the holes 12 a at the other side edge of the device, and knotted in similar fashion to the first end of said cord. By means of the sleeve D the available length of cord is regulated and the device held with requisite tension against the face of the wearer. Owing to the slight weight of the device its tendency is to tilt downward, and this is prevented by extend ing the cord to the holes a in the plate A; but other means might be adopted-as, for instance, bows similar to those on spectacles, or a strap-instead of the rubber cord shown, &c., without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I find it an advantage to split or separate the rear flanged edge, B, as at b, as thereby (the material being somewhat flexible) I may bend the plate Aslightly, so as to adjust it to faces of different widths, as without the split it cannot be adjusted without the liability of warping the plate when there is any unusual width of face;but in ordinary cases my dev1ce works well without this split 1), and, as stated, is equally as serviceable to the operator in guarding his nose from offensive breath when he wears it as when placed against the face of the person being operated upon. Being made in one piece and free from any attachments, (save only the cord or other device for securing it to the wearer,) it can be very easily and cheaply made, and has nothing about it to get out of order or become broken or misplaced, and hence its simplicity gives it a great advantage over all other breath-guards now in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A dental breath-guard consisting of asingle piece of sheet metal or other suitable material, having a curved front plate and an upward-turned rear curved flange, in combination with a fastening device, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of \Viscousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

OAROLUS P. SOUTHWELL.

Witnesses:

H. G. Unnnnwooi), G. A. PLATZ.

IOC 

